42. Just Like Old Times

I hopped into the shower and gave myself a good scrub down and washed my hair thoroughly. It was blonde again.. By the looks of it, the colour would only change when I was angry or emotionally unsteady. I wiped away the steam from the mirror and looked at myself. My features weren't as petite as they used to be and it's as if they had been replaced with a stern and permanently pained look.

I brushed my teeth and got ready to meet up with Konan, Pain and Kisame tonight. I went back into my room and put on a nice long black dress, I hadn't dressed this well in Jashin knows how long..

I attached my leg pouch and tied up my hair into a neat bun before leaving my room and headed down for the kitchen which was empty, I took about 20 bottles of sake from the cupboard and made my way to the lounge room.

"Tila, let me help you with those" Kisame grinned cheekily as I entered the lounge trying not to drop any of the bottles I was carrying carefully in my arms.

"Why so many?" Pain questioned from his seat on the couch beside Konan, he was looking over to Kisame and I.

"It's not that many" I joked as Kisame and I set them down onto the coffee table. Pain gave a small dark chuckle, Kisame who was still standing beside the coffee table picked up a bottle and cracked it while I collapsed down onto the empty couch.

"I say we go a bottle each" He suggested, I looked over to Konan who had raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, but I'm not carrying you to bed when you pass out" She mused as she picked up two bottles and cracked them open then handed one to Pain who took a long sip.

"I don't think it's going to matter if he passes out here" I laugh as I imagine Kisame sleeping upside down on a couch. He cracked another bottle and handed it to me then took a seat beside me.

"Here's too - the Akatsuki. Or what it used to be anyways" Kisame jeered and raised his bottle up into the air.

"Cheers" Konan and I said in unison, Pain just made a hn sound and we all took a sip.

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We talked and reminisced for a while, it was nice just being with Kisame, Konan and Leader. It felt like a long time since we had all just sat down and relaxed together. Everything had been so crazy lately that it's as if I had started to lose myself in a sense. Lose sight of who I am, what I'm about..

It's true though, we had lost many comrades along the way as we worked together for a solution to the dreads of this world. Maybe the only reason I'd started to think so much into it was because by now I'd had quite a few sake bottles...

"Tila, do you remember that time Deidara blew your room to smithereens!" Kisame yelled across the room as he broke out into hysterical laughter and slapped his thigh.

"How could I forget! I had to stay with Hidan that night!" I laughed too!

"You poor thing" Konan said sympathetically.

"It wasn't that bad, but I would've preferred my own room" I told her, now feeling a little dizzy and light headed.

"You know, I was the one that made Deidara and Tobi fix your room" Pain said as he raised his eyebrow and leaned in closer.

"So that explains it!!" I exclaim loudly!

"Pain, that was pretty sweet of you considering your an S ranked criminal" jeered Kisame playfully.

"I'm not that bad!" He dead panned, looking over to Konan for backup.

"He cares more than you think" Konan retorted, now grinning cheekily and waving a playful finger before her. All of a sudden I felt a presence.

"Tila" a cold voice called my name and the whole lot of us looked over to the door to see who it could be.

"Sasuke, what do you want?" I asked as I stood up and walked over to him clumsily.

"Can we talk?" He asked, still standing in the archway - the look he gave as he asked was blank. I stopped inches in front of him abruptly then squinted at his face.

"No" I said plainly then stated to giggle at his stern cold look.

"You Uchibbhaaa" I hiccuped, "Doo nothing but hurt me" I huffed.

"Then I'm drinking with you" Sasuke stated and before I could object he walked straight past me and picked up a bottle of sake.

"No! You cannot be here Sasuke!" I exclaimed as I wobbly made my way back over to my spot on the couch and slumped back down Into my seat.

"Too late" He said coldly and I watched silently for a moment as he cracked open a bottle and took a long swig.

"I have an idea" Kisame interjected cheekily, raising his finger in the air to emphasise the fact he had an idea.

"What is it?" Pain questioned curiously and I watched as Kisame looked around to Sasuke who was still standing, bottle in his hand.

"Tila and Sasuke have a drinking challenge! First person to withdraw isn't allowed to be here!" Kisame exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Oh!" I gasped at what he had said then turned to look at Sasuke again.

"Challenge accepted" he said coldly followed by a mischievous smirk. That's it. I'm going to teach this arrogant Uchiha a lesson he'll never foregut.

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Time passed by slowly as Sasuke and I played numerous games, mostly involving Rock Paper Scissors. I'm pretty sure he won most of them because by now I'd started feeling really dizzy and sleepy. As everyone else argues about something I decided to close my eyes and lay down on the armrest of the couch. I felt Sasuke nudge me in the side softly

"So that's all you've got" he mused as though I was finished.

"No! I'm going to beat you senseless you stupid Uchibhaaa! You think your all so good! Why I outa-" I spluttered in a drunken rage but I felt Sasuke pin me to the back of the couch and cover my mouth with his hand and muffle my obscenities before they came out.

"Think it's time for you to resign Tila" Sasuke cooed softly into my ear as he leaned in closer to me, his hand still firmly against my mouth. By now everyone else was pretty impartial to what was going on. Kisame nodded and watched as Sasuke picked me up in his arms. Konan and Pain were deep in conversation about something and haven't even noticed.

"I don't wana go sasukee!" I yelled ditzily but I must have been fairly intoxicated by this point because no one seemed to care.

"Let's go" Susuke's cool voice resided in my ear and I felt myself being forcefully carried away out into the training room.

"Sasuke, put me down! I don't want to go with you" I squealed but it was useless. I calmed down and watched his cold facial expression as he walked me down the hallway.

"This one, isn't it?" He asked now looking down at me as I laid in his arms.

"Maybe" I mumbled under my breath. Sasuke opened the door and set me down onto my bed.

"How did you know this was my room?" I asked curiously as I watched him close the door and sit down beside me.

"I just knew" Sasuke replied and I felt the mood in the air shift slightly. I silently watched as he sat beside me and for some reason I felt strange.

"Tila, I need to tell you something" Sasuke then said - breaking the silence and causing a bubble of curiosity to form inside the depths of my stomach.

"What.. Is it" I stammered, not knowing how to feel.

Was I scared? Was I in denial..?

"When Obito told me the truth, you have no idea how much I regretted.." Sasuke began to say. I watched as his lip quivered slightly, and my heart started deeply sinking.

"I wanted to tell you but- this is how Itachi wanted it" I whispered.

My dimly lit room fell silent.

My heart fell silent.

My tears dropped.

"Since I've been here" I paused as I breathed in shakily, Susuke's onyx eyes now connecting with my own, "It hurts" I whispered.

My head started to feel light again and I felt Susuke's arms wrap around me into a tight embrace. I don't know how long we stayed there - Susuke's arms around me as I wept on his shoulder. His cold voice brought me back from my pain for a split second..

"If you had come with me, things would have been different"

"I don't know what I want Sasuke" I mumbled still shakily holding onto him.

"I'm going to destroy the people responsible for all of this" Sasuke voice breathed Into my ear. I shuddered as the tingles shot through my body. Sasuke hadn't changed.. I don't think he ever will. I closed my eyes and let myself be engulfed by darkness as I fell asleep in his arms. It had been a long time since he'd held me like this.

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As I opened my eyes I felt my head pound in pain, I pulled my blanket over my face and then held my forehead tight. What the hell happened last night, why do I have such a bad headache!! Snippets of Kisame and Konan started to return.

Sasuke holding me as I cried.. Oh god.

Why am I so stupid! I started to remember everything. I focused Chakra into my palm and started to heal my forehead. Maybe this will help, or at least I hope it will. I laid in bed a while longer and I started to feel my headache go away but I sill felt fairly groggy.. I can't believe id fell for that darn Susuke's sweet talk again! I scolded myself as I lay there.

I didn't know if I regretted it or if I was simply embarrassed at my actions. I guess it wouldn't matter seeing as Sasuke left for his mission today.. I don't have to face him any time soon..

Knock. Oh crap, please don't be Sasuke..

"Tila, it's Pain. Are you awake?" His deep voice echoes from behind the door.

"Yeah, come in," I yelled back then poked my head up from under my blanket and looked over to the door as it slowly opened.

"You're coming with Konan and I on a mission to retrieve the nine tails" Pain told me as he poked his head into the slightly opened door crack.

"Umm... Really? A mission? Finally" I sighed in relief.

"Indeed, it's about time. Meet me in my old office at midday so we can properly discuss out plan of attack" I nodded and watched as he closed the door behind him. I closed my eyes and laid back down again thinking about what Pain had said... A mission.